St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-10-20

Indians that a man named Kit Far
leigh engaged in the colonel's service.
Who he was and where he came from
nobody ever just knew. He claimed
to have been a British soldier taken
prisoner by Stark at Bennington, and
said that he had been so we'll treated
that he meant to stay among the Amer
leans and not 60 back into service.
But nearly every body thought that he
was a deserter from the American ar
my. As he was industrious and dis
posed to mind his own business no.
body took it upon themselves to hunt
up his past life, and he remained
through the season at the great house.
exit had the ways of gentleman,
and being plausible and Oily-tOngued,
he soon made friends with Nancy. He
gave her helping hand about the
chores when his own labOrs did not
conflict, and was SO kind and courte-
Gus that the girls heart was won be-
fore she knew it. Sometime i'm Sep
TENDER she announced to the house,
hold that she was going to marry Far
leigh the coming winter.
Colonel Whipple and his wife did
all they could to discourage the mar
riage, but their opposition only seem
ed to strengthen the girls decision.
She was completely infatuated. She
even gave into her lovers keeping her
little stock of money, trusting in his
attachment and honesty.
"Before the end of October the
young woman was called to Lancaster
to visit sick friend who had formerly
worked in the colonel's family. Be-
fore her departure she and Farleigh
had arranged that on her return they
should proceed together to Portsmouth
where they were to be married, and
where he claimed to have a friend who
had promised him employment. She
left witt out suspicion of his fidelity,
promising to return in fortnight.
"The woods were all bare and brown
and the first snow had fallen when
Nancy came back to the great house.
Colonel Whipple met her at the door
way, with a grave face.
"'He has gone, the villain = he said,
'and he left no word save that sudden
business called him to Portsmouth
"'He might have waited for me- she
answered with a sudden flush /; 'but of
course he would if he could have done
so. The dear fellow, he has gone to
arrange about our wedding. will
not keep him waiting. If can have a
bit of something to eat and nights
lodging
"What! you are not going after
the scamp2' exclaimed the colonel.
"'I shall start in the morning. she
answered calmly. He will be waiting
for me-
''In vain the family tried to dissuade
Iar h1t 81, tnA
in her design, and though snow was
the mountains, the infatuated girl
wrapped herself in a long cloak and
started out in the storm over that lone
ly path through the Notch to Bartlett.
"That was the last ever seen of her
alive" continued my narrator. "That
winter was terrible for it's severe cold.
Snow fell to the depth of several feet,
and the very sky seemed to glisten
with frost. The pat through the
Notch was filled with drifted snow. No
one passed that way for several weeks.
"One February day, party of hunt
ers set out from Bartlett, following the
track of a deer that their hounds had
scented up along this route. At night
they halted and pitched their camp on
that eminence which attracted their
curiosity today. When they lighted
their fire they were startled by the
sight of an unearthly figure standing
before them beneath the bending
branches, wrapped in robe of ice.
The spectral figure proved on exami-
nation, to be the lifeless form of poor
Nancy, who fatigued with her journey
thus far, had stopped there to rest,
and falling asleep, had died of the in
tense cold. There the poor girl sat,
reclining her head as if in sleep,
against the trunk of large tree.
''She was buried on that hillside,
and ever since the place has been
known as 'Nancy's Hill.' There, stran
ger, that's the story just as L have
heard my grandmother tell it, and she
heard it from her mother who was
'hired girl at Colonel Whipple's when
Nancy was at the great house. 1t is
one of the saddest stories of these
mountains"
Subsequent inquiry of the older res
idents corroborated the truth of the
story | had heard in most of its details.
1t was IL familiar tale to most of the
villagers, aud one old lady, well in her
ninetieth year, declared that she had
seen Nancy's ghost many ii time on the
hill i'll her younger days. L laughed at
the idea of the ghost, but the rest of
the story made an impression on my
mind that will not soon be etfaced. Of
Kit Farleigh nothing was ever heard.
. Portland Transcript.